Zarah Sultana has said she will not pursue legal action against Jeremy Corbyn, describing herself as "determined to reconcile" with the former Labour leader following a public dispute over the fledgling party they were due to co-lead.
In a statement posted on X, the Coventry South MP said she would not be "pursuing legal proceedings despite the baseless and unsubstantiated allegations against me" as an act of good faith. She acknowledged many people felt "demoralised" by the quarrel, which centred on her push for members to sign up to Your Party, the political outfit she established with Corbyn.
The row began after Corbyn disowned an email encouraging supporters to sign up, calling it "unauthorised". Sultana had on Friday instructed "specialist defamation lawyers", saying she had been subjected to a "sexist boys' club" and been "sidelined" and "effectively frozen out" by the former Labour leader and fellow independent MPs Ayoub Khan, Adnan Hussain, Iqbal Mohamed and Shockat Adam.
Sultana said she was engaged in ongoing discussions with Corbyn, for whom she has "nothing but respect". She added: "I know many people are feeling demoralised – I share that feeling. We find ourselves in a regrettable situation, but my motivation has always been to ensure the collective strength of our movement, put members first and build the genuinely democratic conference and socialist party we so urgently need."
The party, which is yet to hold an annual conference or decide on an official name, has been marked by disagreements. Sultana announced its launch in July, claiming more than 750,000 supporters had signed up. She had been suspended from Labour last year for voting to scrap the two-child benefit cap, and quit the party in July to set up the new political group.
